The Necessity of Quiet Time

In my previous posting, I shared the 5-part article by Teri Maxwell of Titus2.com titled “What About Me?” on dealing with the oft asked question of Me Time. Now I would like to focus on a more important time – Quiet Time.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a soliatry place, where he prayed. Mk 1:35

Jesus, the Son of God, God Incarnate, prayed. How much more should we then, sinners, saved by grace, pray?

King David, a man after God’s heart prayed, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

That’s what we should do too! Set aside time with the Lord, talk to Him & wait in expectation for His reply.

“But I hardly have time to even shower!’ you protest. Yes, it is so easy to push our Quiet Time with the Lord out of the way when we are busy or running behind schedule. I know because I have done it countless of times.

But in the end, I could have saved myself much heartache & foolishness if I had sought out the Lord before rushing headlong into the urgent but unimportant tasks that require my attention.

I have learnt the hard way that indeed, the busier I am, the more I need to spend time with the Lord. Yes, I do pray throughout the day but those prayers are usually the “Please help me, Lord!” type of prayer A dedicated special time with the Lord is different.

I have found that when I do that, my perspective on things changes. Sometimes immediately but usually slowly. Looking after many young children is tiring & draining. Where am I going to find what I need to nourish & care for them when I, myself, am burned out?

Jesus himself told his disciples who were so busy ministering to the needs of the people to, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mk 6:31b

How I have done my Quiet Time over the years have changed. When I had 1 child who took 2 naps a day, I would do my chores during his 1st nap & then my Quiet Time during his 2nd nap. Then, I would take my own nap.

When I had 2, 3 & then 4 children, I would wake up after the early morning nursing session (usually 5am) to do my Quiet Time. Thereafter, if I felt really sleepy, I would go & lie down for a short nap. If not, my day would start from 5am. Then, I would really need a nap by mid-day!

I really much prefer it this way because I could start my day right with God. I liked to sit & pray, read the Bible & journal down what God was saying to me.

However, I had baby #5 who would wake up many times a nite & still is waking up at least once a nite. I just couldn’t stay awake after the 5am nursing session! So I had to change my Quiet Time to the afternoon when the children are doing their quiet play time just before they napped.

There are many days that I just don’t feel like doing my Quiet Time because I am just so tired & all I wanted to do was sleep! So I have this little deal with myself. I tell myself that I can nap after I have finished reading my devotion passage or scheduled chapters of the Bible. On those days, I would just read – real quick, i must confess – & pray a short prayer. Then I would crash out.

What do I use for my Quiet Time? Well, this has also changed over the years. I used to depend very heavily on devotionals esp during those days when I had 4, aged 6 & under.

My dh used to tell me that those devotionals were not meat! They were too simple for me. But I told him – better to have read something from God’s Word, even if it is someone else’s interpretation of it, then to read nothing at all.

Milk they may be, but God has used those devotionals to speak to me many, many times over!

Currently, I am on a Daily Bible Reading Plan. I have to confess that I have never read through the whole Bible! So this reading plan came to me at the beginning of the year at the best time! I love it!

I strongly encourage you to set aside time to be with the Lord. Even if it is just 10minutes a day. We don’t have to spend 2hrs on our knees just so He will hear us. He knows which season our lives are at.

Just a warning – if you have not done this before or have not done this in a long while & would like to start, satan is not going to be pleased. Expect warfare. Put on your full armour of God & stand firm! Eph 6:10- 18